Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) General Secretary Attorney-at-Law Sagara Kariyawasam has claimed that Sri Lanka currently lacks a just and fair society.
He said that if MP Namal Rajapaksa could be unlawfully arrested, any citizen’s child could similarly face an unlawful arrest in the future.
Kariyawasam stressed that the law should be applied fairly in the case of Rajapaksa.
He said several key institutions were responsible for the administration and enforcement of the law in the country.
According to Kariyawasam, the Police and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) are responsible for investigating various offences, while the courts administer justice with the assistance of the Attorney General’s Department. If a person is found guilty, the Department of Prisons is responsible for carrying out the punishment imposed, he said.
The former MP said these law-enforcement and justice institutions must remain impartial and beyond reproach.
Kariyawasam questioned whether it could be considered just if the Director General of CIABOC had taken steps to have Rajapaksa remanded in a manner that prevented a Magistrate from granting him bail.
“If the Director General of the Bribery Commission takes steps to send Namal Rajapaksa to prison in a way that leaves the Magistrate unable to grant bail, can that be considered justice?” he questioned.
